Musician Tribute

Mark Bell (1971-2014) Mark Bell was a British Dj and record producer of house music. He was a founding member of the electronic music group LFO (Low Frequency Oscillation). Bell attended college where he studied photography and graphic design. It was in college that he met Martin Williams and Gez Varley. In 1998 they would begin to lay gigs together known as LFO. Bell has also worked closely with Bjork and Depeche Mode.  Achievements: 2001: Bjork & Mark Bell won the Robert Award for best Score for the song “Dancer in the Dark”

Maxim Soria (1983-2011) Maxim F. Soria was born in 1983 in Metro-Manila, Philippines to Melvin and Glena Soria. Soria has two other siblings. He was a graduate of Central Bucks in 2001 and went on to study at Temple University. Maxim was a founding member of the alternative rock band Valencia whom he played drums for. Valencia was founded in 2004. The band was named after the wife of the protagonist, Valencia in the book Slaughterhouse-Five by Vonnegut. Soria was featured on all three of Valencia’s albums.  Achievements: After playing the Warped Tour in 2005, they [Valencia] released their first album, This Could Be a Possibility, in October 2005, which was re-released in September 2006. The album has received mixed reviews. In 2006, the band was named SPIN Band of the Day and was a finalist for Band of the Year, but lost to Nightmare of You. In May 2006 the band stopped touring because of the death of Shane's girlfriend. In July 2006 Valencia traveled to Japan to p...

Rich Cronin (1974-2010) Richard Burton Cronin was born August 30th, 1974 in Boston, Massachusetts to Richard and Doris Cronin. He had two siblings, Michael and Cassandra. Cronin attended Sacred Heart High School and graduated in 1993. He would go on to attend Bridgewater State College. Cronin was a founding member of the group LFO (Lyte Funky Ones). LFO had much success with hits reaching #3 and #1 and the Billboard Hot 100/the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales Chart. Their breakout hit “Summer GIrls” went platinum in the United States selling over one million units. LFO disbanded in 2002. In March of 2005 Cronin was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia and underwent chemotherapy.  Achievements:  1999 LFO Released: August 24, 1999 Label: Arista Records US 21 UK 62 US sales: Platinum Canada sales: Gold Worldwide sales: 2.5 million 2001 Life Is Good Released: June 26, 2001 Label: Arista Records 75 Their debut album, LFO, sold ...

Adam “MCA” Yauch (1964-2012) Adam Nathaniel Yauch was born on August 5th, 1964 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. He attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, during this time he taught himself to play bass guitar. Yauch was a practising Buddhist and was a crucial part of the Tibetan Independence Movement where he organized several benefit concerts to support the cause, one such being the Tibetan Freedom Concert. He was also a strong supporter of Feminism and would often apologize for offensive Beastie Boys lyrics. He met his wife, Dechen Wangdu in 1995 and they would later marry and have a daughter, Tenzin Losel, in 1998. Yauch had founded the Oscilloscope Laboratories in New York City, an independent film distribution company. Yauch was best known as a founding member of the hip hop group the Beastie Boys.  Achievements: 1998: MTV Video Music Awards, Video Vanguard Award May 3rd, 2013: Renamed Palmetto Playground in Brooklyn, New York to Adam Yauch P...

Paul Gray (1972-2010) Paul Dedrick Gray was born in Los Angeles, California. After some time his family moved to Des Moines, Iowa where he switched from playing guitar to bass. In his youth he played with many bands which include Anal Blast, Vexx, Body Pit, The Have Nots, and Inveigh Catharsis. Gray was most known as being Pig or by his number, #2 in the heavy metal band Slipknot, where he was the backing vocalist, bassist, songwriter, and one of the founding members. He also filled in as bassist for Unida, performed on Drop Dead, Gorgeous’ album, Worse Than a Fairy Tale , and toured briefly with Reggie and the Full Effect. On May 24th, 2010 Gray had been found dead in his hotel room, it would later be confirmed that he had overdosed on morphine and had shown signs of “significant heart disease” at age 38 in Johnston, Iowa. He is survived by his wife, Brenna and their daughter October, who was born after he passed. Achievements: 2010: Kerrang! Services to metal Award ...

Josh Martin (1973-2018) Josh Martin was born on April 2nd, 1973 in Connecticut. He played guitar in Adolf Satan from 2002 to 2008. Martin played on three of their albums, Demo, Adolf Satan, and Ooga Booga Cab Company. Then he played acoustic guitar in Impaled Northern Moonforest and from 1996 to 2001 he played guitar in Anal Cunt and again from 2006 to 2011.  Achievements:  In January 1996 Putnam hired a new guitarist, Josh Martin. Martin was a student at New York University in 1994–1995, when Anal Cunt used to play in New York a lot, and they had become good friends. Indeed, this was a friendship that would continue, as Putnam and Martin would join forces later in Adolf Satan and acoustic black metal band Impaled Northern Moonforest. Martin moved to Boston following his graduation, and was appointed by Putnam as the new Anal Cunt guitarist. After trying out a lot of drummers, they hired Nate Linehan, who blew away the competition. Yet another tour followed...

Lucas Starr (1984-2018) Lucas Starr was born July 2nd, 1984 in Austin Texas. During his time involved in the music industry he founded and guided many artists to reach their potential and impacted many lives in the process. Starr was a founding member of Oh, Sleeper and appeared on the band's first two albums 2007’s When I Am God (EP) and 2009’s Son of the Morning (EP). He would leave Oh, Sleeper in 2011. Before being in Oh, Sleeper Starr was a member of the band Terminal, also known as Letter Twelve. Starr and his girlfriend, Lauren Collins founded the Artist Development and Music Production Company.  Accomplishments: 2007 When I Am God  US Heat 19 Christian 33 2009 Son of the Morning US 120 US Heat 7 US Rock 46 US Hard Rock 12 Christian 7 2011 Children of Fire US 142 US Rock 32 US Hard Rock 1 Christian 7 Charity: Colorectal Cancer Alliance

Shane Bisnett (1987-2019) Shane Adam Bisnett was born on July 24th, 1987 to Chester and Eve Bisnett in Watertown, New York. Shane played hockey at Pottsdam High School until he graduated in 2005. Bisnett composed music and knew how to play many instruments such as drums, guitar, and piano. He also possessed almost perfect pitch. Bisnett moved to Rochester in 2009 to become the lead singer of the band Ice Nine Kills. He played as the bassist/clean vocalist on their second album, Safe is Just a Shadow, which was released in 2010. Bisnett would later leave the band in 2011. On July, 29th, 2014 he married Lauren Zindell who he would have a daughter Landyn with. He also has a son, Parker, from a previous relationship, and a step-son, Jordan Zindell. Throughout his life he held many different jobs, he worked as a landscaper, electrician, and carpenter.  Accomplishments:  Ice Nine Kills released their second full-length album Safe Is Just a Shadow on July 12, 2010. Vo...

Devin Lima (1977-2018) Harold Lima was born March 18th, 1977 in Boston, Massachusetts. Before replacing Brian Gillis in the band LFO (Lyte Funky Ones) he worked in a department store. In October 2017, Lima had been hospitalized due to doctors finding a football sized tumor on his adrenal gland. The cancer, overtime, spread to his kidney, which was removed. This hospitalization postponed LFO’s plans to tour in 2018. Lima is also known as an actor, he was in Longshot , American Pie Presents: Beta House , and All That . He and Brad Fischetti collaborated and released a two song EP Xiles X-mas on December 13th, 2009 under a hip-hop project called The Xiles. Accomplishments: 1999    LFO Released: August 24, 1999 Label: Arista Records US 21  UK 62 US sales: Platinum Canada sales: Gold Worldwide sales: 2.5 million 2001    Life Is Good Released: June 26, 2001 Label: Arista Records 75 Their debut album, LFO, sold over ...

Flattus Maximus (1977-2011) Corey Smoot was born August 25th, 1977 in San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. Smoot was best known for being Flattus Maximus in the band GWAR from 2002 until his death on November 3rd, 2011. He and his wife had one daughter together, Corie, who was born after Smoot’s death. After his death in 2011, GWAR decided to retire the Flattus Maximus character. Smoot played in many bands throughout his time as a musician and had many musical roles in those bands. Aside from being a member in GWAR he also played in Locus Factor, Mensrea, Narsilion, and The Corey Smoot Experience. Achievements:  In 2004 Gwar teamed up with Grey DeLisle (as the voice of Grandma Stuffum) in the Codename: Kids Next Door episode "Operation F. O. O. D. F. I. T. E."; the band was credited as Rawg and the songs "The Private Pain of Techno Destructo", "Morality Squad", and "Gor-Gor" were performed with new lyrics, pertaining to the e...

Elvis Presley (1935-1977) Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8th, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. In 1985, Presley began his music career by recording with Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Presley’s first RCA single was “Heartbreak Hotel” which was released in January of 1956 and quickly became a #1 hit in the United States. Presley quickly became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of Rock & Roll. In 1956, he made his first film Love Me Tender and throughout his career he would go on to make many more. In 1958, he was drafted into the Military as a Private at Fort Chaffee in Arkansas. After training he joined the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, Germany where he met Priscilla Beaulieu whom he would marry 7 and a half years later. On February 1st, 1968 Elvis and Priscilla had their first and only child together, Lisa Marie. The couple would go on to separate due to adultery on the ends of both parties on February 23rd, 1972.  Achievements: 1971: Grammy...